News

In advance of Paul Ryan's $50,000 per couple fundraiser this weekend in Milwaukee, local residents welcomed Ryan back to Wisconsin with a "47 percent"-themed event this morning at Amaranth Bakery & Cafe.

The event, emceed by State Sen. Chris Larson, also featured a "47 percent" cake presentation.

Local veteran Joel Chappelle was enraged by the Romney-Ryan budget cuts to veterans benefits, noting that the cuts are especially offensive to servicemen and women like his nephew, who lost both legs in service to our country. "We [veterans] don't ask for much", Chappelle said. "So when I see a video of Governor Romney explaining to his millionaire donors that we are freeloaders with a victim mentality, that we lack personal responsibility, or that it is not his job to worry about us, it offends me."

UW-Milwaukee student Rob Bauman talked about how he worked full-time and received scholarships, but still needs student loans to get through college, stating, "Mitt Romney says we should just shop around or borrow more money from their parents. Well, not every American has that luxury." Bauman also slammed Romney's comments about 47 percent of Americans wanting a handout: "The truth is, I don’t want a handout. And I don’t believe a vast majority of young people in this country want a handout either. ... We just want a hand-up."

Nikki Sheerer, a single mom working her way through college, explained how the Romney-Ryan budget would harm Wisconsin families like her own. "I'd have to bear the burden of helping multi-millionares get another tax break," she said. "That's not something my family or my neighbors can afford."